Go on a Hobbiton tour from Auckland and see the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, starting with a scenic drive through New Zealand’s North Island aboard a luxury coach. You’ll be enthralled by the illuminated Glowworm Grotto during an underground boat ride on the Waitomo River. Then pose for photos in front of hobbit holes at the Hobbiton Movie Set, home to Bilbo Baggins from ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogies. End your tour in Rotorua or return to Auckland; picnic lunch included.

Full-day tour from Auckland to two of New Zealand’s most magical sites
Take a boat ride to the glowworm grotto to see thousands of glowworms twinkling in the darkness
Enjoy a delicious lunch at the Green Dragon Inn
Explore the Hobbiton Movie Set, where parts of The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed
Have you photo taken in front of a hobbit hole!

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Optional drop-off in Rotorua makes this tour ideal for those traveling around the North Island.

What's Included

Morning snack
Transport by luxury coach
Lunch

Food and drinks, unless specified

Departure & Return

This operator has two meet-up options available. You can either meet at the departure point below or select a location for pick-up.

Departure Point

102 Hobson Street, 102 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Pickup Details

Possible departure locations

View departure locations

Departure Time

8:00 AM

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

Please Note

Hotel pick ups in most cases will be earlier. Please check with provider open til 8pm - Toll free within NZ 0800744487 If your pick up location is not on the supplied list please contact our reservations team 24 hours prior

What To Expect

After hotel pickup in Auckland, enjoy a morning snack on board the luxury coach during a scenic drive through the North Island’s rolling hills and lush farmland. Listen to your guide’s commentary as you travel through the Waikato and King Country regions, and learn of the colonial history between British settlers and the Maori in Rangariri.

Upon arrival in Waitomo, you’re taken to the noteworthy Waitomo Caves for a guided tour. Descend underground into the limestone caverns to view stunning stalactites formed over centuries. Drift along the Waitomo River during a short boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto, where a breathtaking display of tiny illuminated lights glow in the darkness. Discover the mystery behind the luminescence of thousands of glowworms before enjoying a provided picnic lunch.

Your day trip continues across the Kaimai Ranges toward Rotorua and onward to Matamata, where you’ll visit the Hobbiton Movie Set, a working sheep farm and significant filming location for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movie series, all of which were filmed throughout New Zealand. Discover how the site was transformed into JRR Tolkien’s The Shire — home of Bilbo Baggins and his fellow hobbits. Have your photo taken in front of a hobbit hole and see the pond, the Mill, the Green Dragon Inn and more.

Your full-day tour ends in Rotorua or with a return to Auckland and drop-off at your hotel.

GreatSights

This is the arrival and departure point for this tour

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hobbiton Movie Set

Journey south through lush rural farmland to the Hobbiton Movie Set, hidden on private farmland near the town of Matamata. Here, the village of Hobbiton was carefully created in amazing detail as a film location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies. During your guided tour of this amazing location you’ll see sights like Hobbit holes, the Mill and the Green Dragon Inn, and learn how farmland was transformed into a living, breathing piece of Middle-earth. After exploring Hobbiton, tuck into a delicious lunch at the Green Dragon Inn.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

Operated by GreatSights

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

The Waitomo Caves are breathtaking - nature at it's finest; just don't try to sneak any pictures as they get very angry.

Pair that with a visit to Waitomo Caves, it was a perfect way to satisfy that bucket list!

It was delicious and well needed after a long walk, unexpected but well worth it.

Reviews

4.5

442 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 442 reviews

Easy, fun day trip from Auckland

Carl_M, Mar 2020

Perfect amount of spoken material on the bus from our driver/guide. Hobbiton was amazing. The only criticism was that the glowworm experience was pretty short, but it was a truly special view.

Hobbiton and glow worm caves

Tom_A, Mar 2020

Had a great day thanks to Bonnie who drove and acted as our guide for the day. Very knowledgeable about Auckland and kept us informed and all why she was driving.

Hobbiton well worth the drive!

Jesse_H, Feb 2020

Thought this was a great tour. Hobbiton was an awesome experience. Even for someone who isn't a huge lOTR fan, the set is worth the trip. Felt that we had plenty of time there, the included lunch and beer from the Green Dragon were great. Waitomo was a unique experience, I didn't enjoy it as much as Hobbiton but given the amount of driving for the day it's good to get a second site in. It's a lot of driving (probably somewhere between 6-7 hours on the bus) but there's no way around it if you want to see these sites from Auckland and the tour guide did a nice job giving tons and tons of information on what we were passing.

A Must See!! A+++

Daniel_W, Feb 2020

This is my 2nd time visiting Hobbiton and once again, still the best tour I've experienced in New Zealand. The set is so well maintained, the tour guides are extremely friendly and enthusiastic and the lunch is delicious and filling. I loved every moment of this tour.

Great time out

Anthony_T, Feb 2020

The tour gave enough time to enjoy both the Hobbiton Set and the Waitomo Caves. We didn't have to line up too much like other visitors. Informative driver explaining NZ, as we drove towards the destinations.

One-way Auckland to Rotorua

lizkarel, Jan 2020

Excellent tour with terrific guide/driver - Rafael. Arrangements for pickup and drop off were well explained and efficient.

Not Worth

Sareesh_V, Jan 2020

Not worth the amount of money and travel time you spend to go and see this. I will not recommend as it takes almost 10 hours to go and come back

Amazing opportunity

Randy_T, Jan 2020

Absolutely loved every minute of the tour. Lunch was delicious. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Excellent day tour

Trudy_L, Jan 2020

The bus picked up at sky city. It was easy to check in. The morning was hobbiton and it was great. The guide for that portion really needed a microphone because we had trouble hearing her as it was a large group. The caves were breathtaking.

Incredible Sights, Okay Driving

Adam M, Dec 2019

First of all, go see Hobbiton. It's wonderful and I enjoyed it immensely. The glow worm cave was stunning, and I only wish our group was smaller (and that fewer people were having side conversations...). The only issue I have was with our second driver, who left his microphone on the entire last leg of the trip. We heard every bite, crunch, and guttural noise he made for about two hours, and it was excruciating. I could neither sleep nor read, and I believe other travelers felt similarly.

...

Questions?

Product code: 3910GS16H_GS11H

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Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland

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